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Main Content
Just Married: Skype and iPhone
For those who love Apple and those who love to hate Apple - is too much ever enough?
Steve Jobs is a man who relishes in the idea of the unveiling. The grand reveal of each new product is an event almost as big as the release itself, albeit without the lines of people waiting all night for a shop's doors to open. Jobs' strategy is simple – reel them in and keep them interested by pulling out one last trick at the very end of a presentation. It builds up the anticipation that later translates into big turnouts come release day. While a unique gadget like the iPad generates more attention, the consistent upgrades across the line keep consumers intrigued enough to stay with Apple. Forming a subgroup of early adaptors, Apple lovers need not be technologically savvy to be able to follow the developments; they just need to be open to constant change.
The most recent Jobs production was announced on June 7th and introduced the iPhone 4. Its innovative addition this round is the FaceTime function, allowing users to share video in real time. Though it is speculated FaceTime will become compatible with other devices and chat services, including Skype, at present it is only available for iPhone to iPhone connections. Strictly working via Wi-Fi, FaceTime is quite limited in its scope of possibility, at least until network innovation catches up and is able to support the connection. In the mean time, the general consumer may be tempted to become part of the exclusive group who can video chat on their phone, but without an actual purpose iPhone 4's FaceTime may be a one trick pony.
A week prior to the upgrade announcement, Skype launched an iPhone application. Already keeping the world connected for free PC to PC and for a small charge from PC to phone since 2003, the download may prove to be more of a success than FaceTime. Available through phone networks, the first three days saw about five million downloads. Though incomparable to the over 500 million Skype users, it is still a significant number. Within the company, the initial numbers eased fears that the decision to charge for 3G calls beginning next year will backfire. Some consumers continue to grumble, but others have already become excited at the prospect of Skype and FaceTime synchronizing.
Staying connected to anyone, anywhere for next to nothing and being able to video chat? Seems like a win-win situation for iPhone and Skype users, but with more technology comes more responsibility. Having access to e-mail, Twitter, facebook, LinkedIn and even dating websites on your phone, makes it increasingly more difficult to actually disconnect. Vacationing with an iPhone that is constantly emitting some sort of ringing noise can easily become more frustrating than trying to quit smoking cold turkey. Both are addictive, but while one causes an array of respiratory diseases, the iPhone keeps you in touch with work, friends, lovers and those random people that always seem to comment on your facebook page, making many users even less willing to give it up.